Toronto Raptors get increase from rookie Barnes in win over Wizards

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Scottie Barnes has had some massive moments already in his rookie 12 months.

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Going toe-to-toe with Kevin Durant and giving pretty much as good as he bought was one. Outplaying Jayson Tatum in Boston was one other.

However coming off back-to-back losses and sluggish out of the gate, the Raptors wanted a pick-me up and the rookie delivered on Friday in a 109-105 win over the Washington Wizards.

This sport modified when Barnes went inside in opposition to an overmatched fellow rookie in Corey Kispert. Barnes was the primary Raptor subbed out of the sport 5 minutes in and the crew down double digits early.

Quite than dangle his head, he was a distinct participant when he returned. Way more aggressive and when he confirmed he had a bonus on Kispert his teammates stored feeding him within the publish getting the Raptors again from that early deficit.

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Barnes scored seven within the first quarter, and 10 within the second serving to flip a 10-point deficit after 1 / 4 to a one-point benefit on the half.

Barnes would add 10 extra within the third as Toronto started to drag away earlier than having to face up to a late cost from the Wizards typically and Bradley Beal particularly.

“When he stretches out, he’s massive on the market and I feel he can use that size benefit to his benefit and tonight he bought it in locations, or took it to locations the place he may do this and he simply stayed with it,” Raptors’ head coach Nick Nurse stated. “Was actually aggressive, good ball sport for him.”

Barnes would find yourself with a profession excessive 27 on 12-of-18 capturing and chipped in on the boards with eight rebounds as properly.

Nurse likes what he’s seeing from Barnes, however each he and Barnes know the work will not be carried out.

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“He has a number of up and down performances which a number of rookies do,” Nurse stated. “Tonight was considered one of his higher, clearly, considered one of his greatest video games I feel. Shot a fairly excessive share, stayed with it, bought the ball the place he needed to, was aggressive. So he’s bought to attempt to construct on it.

“I feel it’s a technique of studying the entire circulation of the 12 months,” Nurse stated. “Rookies want to try this and attending to the purpose the place you may get extra constant every night time. It’s two out of 4, two out of 5 (strong) video games proper now. We need to get that as much as two out of 4, then three out of 4 the place you’re enjoying at a excessive degree. We don’t count on that each night time however we need to be sure to’re enjoying above common three out of 4 nights and he’s working in the direction of that.”

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The Wizards didn’t go down quietly on this one.

They tied the sport at 102 with 1:10 to go on a Montrezl Harrell operating dunk after the Raptors had been up by as many as 18.

With the gang going nuts, Nurse known as a timeout and calmed issues down a little bit however it wasn’t till Fred VanVleet knocked down his fourth three of the night time on 11 makes an attempt that the Raptors had been feeling good once more.

The three ended the Washington run at 16-3 and was adopted by an OG Anunoby rebound and put again of a Barnes miss to seal the sport.

Gary Trent Jr. returned to the lineup after lacking six video games and his return was large for the Raptors.

Trent Jr. was clearly nonetheless discovering his legs however he was there with three three’s within the sport in addition to a handful of huge defensive stops when his crew wanted him most, none greater than a block from behind on Harrell with the Wizards threatening

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The win concludes the 5 sport journey at 2-3 and the crew returns residence to face Portland on Sunday.

KEEPING IT TIGHT

Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has taken a number of warmth these previous few video games for going with a rotation that hovered round seven gamers however was for probably the most half a six-man rotation in a 3 sport set that noticed them win in Milwaukee after which lose shut video games in each Miami and Dallas.

Any have to preserve the rotation tight was relieved Friday night time, at the least considerably, with the return of capturing guard Gary Trent Jr. who missed the previous six video games with swelling in his left ankle.

With Trent Jr. again within the fold, Treasured Achiuwa went again to the bench and the Raptors lengthy anticipated small beginning 5 with Fred VanVleet and Trent Jr. within the backcourt with a similarly-sized frontcourt of Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby up entrance.

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Nurse expanded the rotation as properly utilizing 9 within the first half alone.

Pre-game Nurse was requested in regards to the quick rotation he has employed over the previous few video games.

“It’s been good,” Nurse stated. “I feel we’ve performed actually, very well. I just like the progress we’re making. I like how issues look on the market. I sort of seemed on the schedule and noticed we had a number of groups with championship aspirations proper in a row, and I needed to see and provides our essential guys as many reps in opposition to that and see what it seemed like.”

Nurse went as deep as 9 our bodies into his bench however each Yuta Watanabe and Justin Champagnie had been each used sparingly so for all intents and functions, Nurse was nonetheless going with a seven man rotation.

So it stays clear Nurse nonetheless desires his bench gamers incomes their minutes the way in which Chris Boucher has and he used Boucher for example of a man like this.

The door will not be closed on the others. But when they’re going to get again within the rotation it’s going to be on advantage. And with Khem Birch anticipated again in per week or so, there are going to be fewer minutes to earn.